by Suellen | Uncategorized
Malachi
We come to the last book in the Old Testament. Malachi was written about a hundred years after Haggai and Zechariah. The temple had been rebuilt and the descendants of the returning Jews were back to their old habits: the habits of the flesh.
Do you remember when we read Obadiah and talked about Esau and Jacob? Esau was the child of the flesh, and represented that person. Jacob, however, represented the child of the spirit. The natural man is the first-born man; the spiritual man is the one we get when we get born again. The second man.
God makes it very clear in Malachi, as He did earlier, that the spirit man, Jacob, is the one He loves. Natural men can never please God, even though He loves them. There is too much sin and selfishness.
In this final book the Lord reminds the priests once again that He is not pleased with disobedience and rebellion. They are bringing their second-rate lambs to be sacrificed, instead of their best. They are being unfaithful to their wives. They are not bringing their tithes into the temple.
All of these issues are tell-tale signs of apathy toward the Lord. They were going through the motions of their religious rituals, but their hearts are not there.
God hates that attitude. Apathy is the worst attitude we can have, because it signifies indifference. There is no way someone can be apathetic and full of faith. Those two mindsets don’t go together.
So the Lord chastises His people, but finally He brings hope, as He always does. “The day is coming…for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (4:3)
We always have a promise from our Father. If we will pursue Him, there are wonderful promises in store.
That’s all, folks, until Jesus appears on the scene. Nearly 400 years go by with no more prophetic Words from God. Now I’m quite sure that some men had words or dreams, but nothing that was to be included in the Bible.
This was a long wilderness time for His nation Israel, but think about what was coming. At the right time, God is going to bring His Son to the earth, and the fulfillment of His promises will be more than any could ever imagine. (We can never guess what great things our Father is going to do. His plans are much higher than we can think).
His ideas are always worth waiting for.
Revelation 22
Do you remember Ezekiel 47 and the river of God flowing from the temple? Well here we see the same river: the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb. And once again we see that trees line the banks of this river, bearing fruit in every season.
And there shall no longer be any curse. We shall see His face and His name shall be on our foreheads. The glory of the Lord shall be so bright that we will no longer need the sun. His light will be our sun. (V.3-4)
These events will take place for certain, because God’s Word is always true.
John goes on to tell us to “hold fast” the words of this prophecy. We are not to add to it nor take away from it. This Word is true. (V.18-19)
Our finite minds can’t imagine a day when the sun would no longer need to shine, or when we could just look at Jesus, or when there would be no more evil in the earth. Those things are hard to imagine.
This is why it’s important for us to pursue our God with all diligence. We want to have His best.
Right now His best involves us having joy in the world – with our family and friends. He loves for us to have a good time in this life. Yet always we should put Him first, keeping our minds on things above so that our faith grows along with our love.
I pray that you and I will be right in the middle of all that our God is doing in the earth. It’s forever upward for us as we journey on with Him.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this year of reading the Word along with you. The Bible is not a book which can be mastered by reading a passage a day. Each book could be studied in depth to derive all that the Lord wants us to know. However, by reading straight through, as we did, we get to see the common threads.
We get to see the nature of man, and we get to see the nature of God. We see God’s love as He has pursued man so diligently. We also see His faithfulness.
As we continue in our study, we will uncover more and more layers of understanding. So hope you will continue!
Many blessings.
Suellen Estes
by Suellen | Uncategorized
Zechariah
What a rich book is this! Just loaded with imagery and revelation about God’s plans and His kingdom. In fact there is so much that I can’t possibly approach the full meaning in a few words. So let’s take a look at some highlights.
Zechariah, like Haggai, was a restoration prophet – prophesying to the Jews after they returned from exile in Babylon. Out of fear they had stopped building, and had to be prodded to begin again.
Starting with an admonition not to be like their fathers, Zechariah continues with visions similar to John’s revelation. Angels on horses patrolling the earth. Four craftsmen who will throw down the horns of the nations which have terrified Jerusalem…”Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for He is aroused from His holy habitation.”(2:13) The Lord is on the move, and big things are about to happen.
A man in a vision goes out to measure Jerusalem, but is stopped by an angel. No longer will Jerusalem be a city with walls, for there will be many people in it. The vision speaks of the day when the true Jerusalem will be the city from above, in other words, the church of Jesus Christ. And in that day, the Lord will be a wall of fire around her, protecting her by His own hand. (2:4-5)
We see the two olive trees standing by the golden lampstand. (You might remember these trees from Revelation). They symbolize the anointing of God – His Holy Spirit. Then comes one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” (4:6) What God does, He does by His Spirit. No flesh can accomplish the purposes of God.
As he speaks of many events of the future, Zechariah comes to the moment when he says that the “Lord will be king over all the earth, and in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.” (14:9) He is prophesying once again about Jesus, the Messiah. Every knee shall bow to the name of Jesus.
I hope you will find the time to spend reading and re-reading this great book. As you prayerfully read, you will find much wisdom awaiting you.
Revelation 20-21
This is it: the back of the book. If you want to know how it’s going to end, or if you want to find out that justice will be done, you have it in these two chapters.
First we see that the devil and all of his companions will finally be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Their day of tormenting the earth is over for good.
At the great white throne judgment, everyone great or small will stand before the throne of God. The books will be opened, and everyone, great and small, will give an account for their life. Did they receive the gift of the Lamb’s sacrifice? If so, their name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If not, they have chosen to go with the devil and his crew.
Then a new heaven and a new earth will be revealed. Ones with no sorrow; no tribulation.
“And he said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” Then the bride of Christ is revealed, and she is the new Jerusalem – the city without walls, coming down out of heaven. God’s kingdom, the church, is the new Jerusalem.
Actually the first fruits of this started showing up when Jesus said, “It is finished,” on the cross. After He paid the price and went to heaven, sending back His Holy Spirit to live within us, God’s kingdom was here. His kingdom is here now, living within the hearts of His people.
That’s why just any ole religion won’t do. There are not many paths to God; there is only one. And His name is Jesus.
Only through Jesus can men and women be cleansed and have the Holy Spirit living within them. It’s not based on good works. Good works will come, of course, but they will be the fruit of a life lived with God’s power and wisdom within. Artificial fruit won’t hack it. It has to be the real deal.
Yet for those of us who want to accept the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, we have His life within us now. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and collectively we are the new Jerusalem. His kingdom.
So right here, right now, there are parallel universes. There is the natural world, of which we all are a part. Then there is the spiritual world – God’s kingdom – which supersedes the former. Supernatural wisdom, ability, peace, joy, and strength are all available to those of us who wish to allow Him to live within us. Those of us who want to be part of His kingdom, His Jerusalem.
The day will come when that is all there will be. That’s what we have been reading about in Revelation. “And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it.”(21:24)
Exciting, isn’t it?
by Suellen | Uncategorized
Zephaniah and Haggai
We come to the last of those who prophesy before Judah is taken into captivity. The Word is so similar: Judah has denied the Lord and served other gods. The people have been arrogant and self-serving. Therefore, since they refuse to turn back to the Lord and honor Him, He will allow them to go into captivity.
Yet the day will come when He will draw them back to Jerusalem and He will restore their fortunes which have been stripped. At that time, Zephaniah says that He will “exult over them with joy, be quiet in His love, and rejoice over them with shouts of joy.” Sounds to me like God really loves these people!
When we get to Haggai, the times are totally different, and the prophet’s purpose is also. Two hundred years have passed since the first prophetic words of warning and the warnings of all of the prophets have been ignored. So the dire warnings have come to pass.
Judah has been overtaken, Jerusalem has been burned, and most of the people have been taken into captivity by the Babylonians. They have stayed there for 70 years, as Jeremiah said they would, and then King Cyrus has allowed some of them to return. So Ezra and Nehemiah both have led expeditions back to Jerusalem, in order to rebuild the temple and rebuild the walls around the once-great city.
Now we ae in the rebuilding phase. At first, there was tremendous zeal in building, but soon the work stopped. Local officials, threatened by the Jews’ return, mocked and taunted the builders until they fearfully discontinued their work. Discouragement and fear took over.
Enter Haggai, the Prophet, and through him the Lord brings a message of wisdom and encouragement. First, He reminds the Jews that they have a work to do. They should be building the house of the Lord. Yet they are saying, “The time has not come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” (1:2) Obviously, they are procrastinating.
Haggai reminds the Jews that their blessing depends upon their obedience to the Lord. If they are not faithful, “the sky withholds its dew and the earth its produce”(1:10).
This time, the people repent. They recognize the Word of the Lord and they are willing to obey. Such a different outcome from the ones which have preceded this prophecy. Believing and acting have brought God’s people into a place of honor with Him.
Now there is a promise to them – and to us when we are obedient. “As for the promise which I made to you when you came out of Egypt, ‘My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear.'”(2:5)…Then He goes on to promise that He will shake the nations and bring the wealth to this nation.
The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former. I believe that, just as in many of the promises, this one is on two levels. It’s a promise for the rebuilding the Jews were currently undertaking. However, it was also for the latter house we live in. (The house of Jesus, the Christian house, is often referred to as the latter house). The glory of what we have now is greater than the former.
God’s power and His provision are for us as well as them. He owns the silver ads the gold. All of the power and riches of the world will eventually be totally controlled by God and Him alone. There will come a time when He shakes the heavens and the earth and all of His riches in the spirit and the natural will be poured out on His people.
Do you believe it? I do!
Revelation 18-19
So Babylon the great has a great fall. We talked about this in the last post.
Let’s be certain about what God is saying. The very word ” Babylon” comes from the word “babel,” and it means “confused.” (Remember the Tower of Babel, where God confused the language of the people?) Well the great city of Babylon stands for the church which has become confused because of all of its mixing with the ways of the world. No longer do people know God or what His way; they look around them to obtain their wisdom.
Babylon is not a pure, faithful church; it is like a whore – impure and unfaithful.
As we have read the prophets in the Old Testament, we see how God’s message to the people was not to mix with other religions. Not to take on their customs. Not to follow their gods. There was a good reason for that. When God’s people succumb to the influence of other religions, they become confused, and the confusion destroys their faith.
The church of Jesus is referred to as His bride, and He deserves a holy bride. One which looks only to Him and not to other false gods. So when we see the marriage supper of the Lamb, “we see a bride who is clothing herself in fine linen, bright and clean.”(19:8). She is making herself ready for her groom.
Then we see the groom – Jesus. He is on a white horse, His eyes like flames of fire, His robe dipped in blood, and His name being the Word of God. The name written on Him is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is ready to rule the world and all of the heavens with authority we have never experienced.
Let that imagery sink in for a while. Our Lord, our Husband, is no wimp. He is mighty, full of power and strength. And He wins!!
So do we!
by Suellen | Uncategorized
Nahum and Habakkuk
Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. It’s been that way since the beginning of civilization. Amazingly, every nation which rises to the top begins to think that they cannot fall because they are too great… Not so.
So it was with Assyria. This nation had conquered many other nations around, even taking the northern kingdom into captivity. However, they were about to fall.
Remember Nineveh? The city to which God had sent Jonah? The one which had repented? Well that was a town in Assyria, and by the time of Nahum, it had turned completely away from the Lord. Drunk in the wine of arrogance, this city – along with its nation, was about to fall.
Nahum had a message to these people. Repent, or you will fall also. (They didn’t and they did).
Now we come to Habakkuk, a small book which has ministered to me many times. It speaks of God’s power in the earth. He will raise up and tear down the nations according to their honor of Him.
There are two passages which I would like to share. First we have Habakkuk 2:1-3. “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.”
When God brings a vision,we need to take heed. We need to write it down and continue to look at it, so that our faith will not fail. If we continue to do what He tells us to do, that vision will come to pass. This is true for a collective vision – say, for our country, and it’s also true for personal vision. When the Lord gives us a Word, it will come to pass, if we hang on and refuse to give up.
Another passage which really goes along with this is found in Habakkuk 3:17-19. “Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vine, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stall, yet I will exult in the Lord, and rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.”
When there is a vision, it is just that. A vivid idea in your mind; not anything to be seen with the eyes. And when we have a vision from God, very often everything around us looks different from what He said to us.
Think about it. If you already are experiencing the vision, you don’t need to have the Word from God. The Word He brings is to put hope and faith into us for what He is bringing our way.
So if everything around us looks to the contrary, we must let our faith arise, and put our trust in God. The vision will come to pass, if we hang on to it.
In the meantime, our God is still our hope and strength. He makes our feet like hinds’ feet so that we can walk on high places. He gets us through our tough times supernaturally while we wait for our vision.
Has God given you a vision? If so, write it down and don’t give up on it. Every Word from God is meant to come to pass. Though it tarries, wait for it. It will not fail!
Revelation 17
Here comes the harlot, sitting on the beast. Now we know that the beast is Satan; so what is the harlot?
I believe that the harlot is the unfaithful church: the church which has mixed with the world so much that you can’t tell the difference between it and the world.
No, I am not saying that we should all go into communes and hide from the world. What I am saying is that if we are going to be faithful to God, we will hold His Word up above what the world views are. We will realize that His Word is true, even when not many believe it. We will also honor it enough to study and understand what He is really saying.
Educated people who are ignorant of the Bible will make wild accusations against the Word. If we are going to remain pure in our doctrine and theology, we must continue to study and see what God is really saying.
For instance, I recently heard a man in a TV interview saying that the Bible couldn’t be true, because it says that the world is only 6,000 years old. It doesn’t say that at all. In fact, the more we study and learn what it says, we realize that the second verse in the Bible contains our clue. Most translations say “And the earth was formless and void.” However, when we look at the Hebrew word translated “was,” we realize that it really says, “became.”
In fact, right there in a correct translation of that tiny word, we have a hint of the ice age. Other passages speak of the time when Satan was thrown out of heaven and the total destruction which went with it.
So the first two verses should read: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (It doesn’t say when). And the earth became formless and void.” (Again it doesn’t say when or how. I think that it was when Satan and a third of the angels were thrown out of heaven, and destruction, followed by the ice age ensued).
So the rest of the chapters are recording God’s restoration of the earth. We know that Satan was already down here, because he tempted Adam and Eve.
Such teaching may seem strange, but it is right in keeping with other passages of the Bible. We see that Satan at one time was in heaven as Lucifer, and that he fell because of pride and rebellion. He persuaded a third of the angels to rebel with him, so they are down here also. (Now he is trying to con men and women into denying God and following him. But man has the God-given mission of resisting him and helping others to do the same).
These passages are just an example of how greater study will make the Bible more believable, not less. The more we learn about it, the more truth we see, and the more wisdom.
So back to the whore of Babylon. The whore who is confused because of mixing with the world. She is not going to be honored by the Lord any more that she honors Him. The day will come when she will be destroyed.
God wants His true church, His pure believers, to run the race with Him.
I pray that you and I will keep our hearts pure before Him. That’s His heart’s desire also.
by Suellen | Uncategorized
Micah
“And it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains…and the peoples will stream to it. And many nations will come and say, ‘Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways.'”(4:1-2)
Right in the middle of this book are these beautiful words which today bring hope to many. We are still expecting the mountain of the house of the Lord to be lifted up above all others. And for people to stream to it.
This reminds me of some very current teaching which is truly incredible.
Several men of God over recent years have had a revelation concerning these mountains.The idea first appeared on the scene in about 1975 when Bill Bright, Loren Cunningham, and Francis Schaeffer called them “molders of culture.” More recently, Lance Wallnau has referred to them as “mountains.” In either case, these men have felt the leading from God to identify seven areas of influence in culture: Family, Education, Business, Arts and Entertainment, Media, Government and Religion.
When you stop and think about it, these different areas have tremendous influence on the thinking of people. Especially on the young. There are many changes which have taken place in the last few decades on world views and morals. Every one of these changes can be traced to one or more of the mountains which have influenced our thinking.
From these men of God, there is a solution. When the mountain of the house of the Lord is raised up above all others, then these other mountains will get more in line with God’s influence. Why? Because every mountain will be invaded with God’s people, bringing their counsel and wisdom to the scene.
That’s what true awakening will look like. No longer will all of God’s passionate people be in ministry (on the mountain of religion), but many of His called out ones will be on the other mountains. God’s plans and purposes will be for all to hear regardless of their place in society.
Think about it for a moment. What if actors, TV anchors, politicians, educators, sports figures, CEO’s, as well as preachers, were sold out to the Lord? What if they all believed in the Bible and wanted to see His Word get into the earth? What a difference that would make!
The many changes in thought – drawing people away from God and His Word – have come about because of non-christians being in positions of authority in those other mountains. What if that were reversed?
That’s what our Father wants. When His mountain is lifted high above the others, it will happen.
So wherever you are placed today, keep your message coming from Him. Not in an obnoxious way, but in a manner of love.
You, too, can be an influencer in the earth. Living for Him. Working for Him.
Revelation 15-16
More end time prophecy. Seven bowls of wrath poured out upon the earth.
It’s important to remember that the wrath of God is sent to awaken the hard-hearted to His power. There are many who doubt God’s power – or even His existence. These negative signs show His power so that He can be worshipped and more people be saved from the eternal wrath.
Yet over and over we see that the people “cursed and blasphemed God” because of the plagues. Their hearts would not turn to Him. They would not repent of their deeds.
As the year draws to an end, we all ought to spend some time with our Father. Let Him shine the light on our innermost being, and let us respond to Him.
If there is a change we need to make, let’s do it. God’s love for us is overwhelming when we receive it, so let’s receive it and live for Him.
by Suellen | Uncategorized
Obadiah and Jonah
We’re rushing a little. Need to finish by end of year, and got behind a bit.
One of the most common stories in the Old Testament is Jonah, so I’m not going to talk about that much. I’ll just mention that Jesus saw Jonah’s trip to the fish belly to be a type for His going to hell and being resurrected. (Matthew 12:40)
Obadiah isn’t spoken of very much, but there is an important lesson here if we look at it. Throughout the prophetic books, we see contrast between Esau and Jacob. Remember, these were two sons of Isaac. Esau was the first-born, but Jacob was the one who inherited the blessing from his father.
Of course, these were two sons and this story actually happened. However, their story was also a type for something more important. It was a type for the natural flesh man and the spirit man.
Your natural birth comes first, of course, and that one is like Esau – the child of the flesh. Then as you have your “born again” experience, your spirit-man is born and this one is like Jacob.
So what is the difference between these two natures of man? The first is arrogant, self-serving, and can be very evil in its desires. This natural man, if gone unchecked, even thinks that it doesn’t need God . “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you.” (Obadiah 3)
The spirit man is much different. This man is born of God, and honors God in everything. This second man is humble and obedient – loving others as himself. In many ways the very opposite of the first man.
So the day is coming, says the Lord, when the house of Jacob will be a flame and the house of Esau will be stubble. Then the house of Jacob will possess their possessions. (V.17). But Esau will be no more. There will be no survivor of the house of Esau. Flesh will no longer prevail.
Now this speaks of a day when the Lord brings us to our final times. Yet in each of our lives, we can see this experience coming to pass as we walk with the Lord.
Our personal house of Esau – that self-centered individual we once were, can be burned up by the fire of God’s Spirit within us changing us into His likeness. (Our Jacob). As we die to self and live to Him, we see ourselves being changed from glory to glory day by day.
Let your mountain of Jacob burn up your mountain of Esau, and possess your possessions. The wonderful covenant you have with the Lord through the blood of Jesus comes into fruition as we do just that.
Revelation 12-14
Within these chapters we see lots of imagery. First there is a woman who gives birth to a Son. Who is that woman? Israel, the descendants of Abraham, who had been called as God’s people for that very purpose. The birth of God’s Son came just as it had been foretold.
Yet there was also a dragon. The dragon had been Lucifer, one of God’s greatest archangels, but because of his pride, he rebelled against God and tricked a third of the angels into following him. So Lucifer became Satan, seen here as the dragon, and when he fell he carried a third of the angels (stars) with him.
This dragon, however, went to war with God’s people. (Today in the world, the dragon is at war with Israel and with Christians. That’s why all of the persecution).
So how do we overcome? By the “blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.”(12:11) The blood of Jesus, which we have received, has given us authority, and the words we speak cause us to overcome the power of Satan. The words of our testimony agree with God and not with the devil. We speak the Word of God with lips which have been cleansed by His blood, and we in effect prophesy our own deliverance.
Chapter 13 gets into some interesting territory. Personally I think that people often miss it when they try to be so specific about the anti-christ who is revealed here. I believe that the anti-christ is a spirit, which is manifested in a religion which attacks and threatens Christians and Jews. It’s like a false Christ. (And I think that we can see him at work right now in the world).
There is a false religion which tries to force all people to worship this false god. The threat of death and persecution ensues. Violence and evil against Christians and Jews. (If you will notice, other religions are not threatened in the same way as Christians and Jews. That’s one way you can tell when the dragon is at work).
One interesting fact in all of this is that the number 666 comes into the forefront . It is the number which will be the “mark of the beast” and it is described as the “number of a man.” The number which stands for man in the Bible is 6.
God created man to be three parts: spirit, soul, and body. And His desire is for all three parts to be subject to Him by the power of His Holy Spirit. Yet often man tries to live his life without God, and he worships himself, and not God. His number is 666, signifying that all parts of his being belong to man – and not God.
There is a time – and I think we are seeing it now – when man wants to worship himself and not God. He yields to the flattery of the devil and the deception of false religions. All of the world is threatened with this type of allegiance.
Yet God wins, and so do we. The day will come when the Lamb and His cohorts will arise and the whole earth will see His glory. No longer will the false religions reign, but God Himself will reign forever.
There will be a great harvest and a great judgment.
It’s important for us to stay on the right side!
